Incredible war epic masterfully directed

Rating: 8/10 (22 August 2018)

Steven Spielberg's got nothing on The Longest Day. Once you watch this movie, you'll wonder why he felt the need to reenact the landing at Normandy, after Ken Annakin, Andrew Marton, Bernhard Wicki, and Darryl F. Zanuck did such a wonderful job capturing the moment thirty-five years earlier. The beginning of this movie is extremely slow, and the first half hour could have easily been cut. The start of the film could have been when Eddie Albert announces, "Next stop: Normandy." But after that announcement, it's very good, and the beach scene in so incredibly filmed, it feels like watching a remake would be sacrilegious. There's a long tracking shot where everyone rushes in, machine guns knocking people off, bombs crashing down, chaos in every inch of the frame, helicopter shots that show planes picking off soldiers on the sand-what else do you need? Blood and guts aren't really necessary to capture the horror and seriousness of war, not if it's filmed correctly. And those four certainly filmed it right.
It seems like everyone who wasn't in 1962's star-studded epic How the West was Won joined the star-studded cast of 1962's The Longest Day. Except Henry Fonda. He can do whatever he wants, so he was in both movies. This three-hour war drama chronicles D-Day, and as the title forewarns you, it's long. But if you want to see John Wayne, Richard Burton, Robert Mitchum, Curd Jurgens, Henry Fonda, Red Buttons, Eddie Albert, Peter Lawford, Rod Steiger, Mel Ferrer, Robert Wagner, Sean Connery, Paul Anka, Christian Marquand, Kenneth More, Gert Frobe, Richard Beymer, Steve Forrest, Ray Danton, Paul Hartmann, Sal Mineo, Roddy McDowall, Edmond O'Brien, Tommy Sands, Peter van Eyck, Richard Todd, and George Segal all together in one movie with parts ranging from five seconds to thirty minutes, you can rent it. Just to warn you, everyone in this movie speaks their native language, so a good two-thirds of the movie aren't in English. The first section of the movie involves the French, German, American, and English bigwigs planning and strategizing. There's lots of subtitles, and if that's not your cup of tea, you'll get bored. Once you get past the first thirty minutes, it doesn't feel so long, because then the battle scenes start.
Believe it or not, there's actually a lighter side to this movie. In the middle of the landing at Normandy, a Frenchman rushes up to the soldiers waving a bottle of champagne, welcoming them and thanking them for coming. Peter Lawford says, "That's most kind of you. Very nice to meet you! Perhaps next time, you see, we have a previous engagement-the war!" Very dry and very British, but at a time like that, it's nice to see good old fashioned manners towards someone who is so happy to see the soldiers. In the same scene, Sean Connery is joking with another soldier, and his commanding officer, Kenneth More, keeps encouraging the soldiers to get off the beach, since all the gunfire is upsetting his dog. He shouts at them, "Don't stand there yapping! The war's over there!"
If you like watching classic war movies, this is one of the most famous out there. Yes, it's filmed in black and white, but it's just supposed to transport you back in time and add to the realism. And no, there's no blood or guts, but with all the drama and tension in the battle scenes-once you get past the first thirty minutes-there's no need for all those extras. The second half of the movie in Normandy is riveting and incredible to watch. No wonder it took four people to direct this movie!